Race Plan & Goal:Sunday will be my first QTS Race and Super Sprint race ever. Moving up to a longer distance will be challenging and I will have to push my self. I believe that I will do well at this new longer distance as I am not a fan of the short enticer races which is suited to the fast sprinters (not me). My goal is not to doubt myself, stop being nervous and race relaxed.

Race Report – QTS #2 Super Sprint:Pre-race – Hydration was going to be very important today as my race started at 8.16am sharp. Although a little overcast you could feel the sun and it was going to be warm. Therefore before the race I made sure I was drinking enough fluids, I was hydrated and that I had eaten early and had a banana for fuel to ensure that I would get the best possible results.

Swim - I knew the swim was going to be important, as I am not the strongest swimmer for my age. I wore a Xterra speed suit for my swim and it was worth it, as I felt I had a very strong swim and came out third for my age, (approx. 15 seconds behind the age group leader). The transition from the swim to bike was slower than normal as I had to take the speed suit off. As I had never worn a speed suit in my previous races, I did not panic, slipped the suit off without any problems and felt I only lost a couple of seconds.

Bike - The bike I knew was going to be hard as soon as I saw the first bike leave transition, it was windy but I was hoping I could use the wind to my advantage and gain some ground on the leader. Instead my plan went backwards and I lost some ground from the strong headwinds.

Run - At this point I knew what I had to do. I had to run the first and second runners down. It wasn’t going to be easy but it was possible. Leading on to the second lap I saw the leader be over taken by second and knew it was time to ramp it up. I picked my leg speed up and eventually passed the original leader and went to second. I then tried to catch the leader, but he was about 20secs to far in front, but I still started catching him and I finished overall second.

Post-race - After the race I congratulated first and third place. I made sure I rehydrated with fluids and got the heart rate down. Then I went for a nice and easy 5 min cool down run, rugged up and waited for the presentations to commence, while keeping hydrated and claimed my second place.